Summary: Sequel to Parcae

Summary: Sequel to Parcae. The view of a Muse. Whose life was altered unchangeably due to a certain Foolish Mortal. Her steps through the stages…as she find out what it means to be the being she always thought she was.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoy this story. I really do like it much better than Parcae, but you should read Parcae first (too many references for this one to make sense) This is roughly five parts long. I have never written a sequel before. Wish me luck!

Musa

Part 1: Denial

I am not a masochist.

I do want I like, when I like, and for the reasons I like. I live my life in total relaxation and enjoyment. I ignore things I don’t like and I accept the things I do. My sister, Polyhymnia, used to say that living life that way would only lead to an untimely downfall. But she is such a stick in the mud that I hardly listen to her anyway.

But then something happened.

Something so great, that I completely exchanged my lightweight life for a burdensome one. That I partook in an arduous journey that would probably never come to a conclusion, to find someone that I hadn’t seen in over three thousand years. Someone that I had completely rinsed from my mind that I hardly remembered his name.

It all started with that Foolish Mortal practically rising from the dead.

---

I had been living with the Fate, Nona, for sometime.

Her sister, Lachesis, told me that her younger sister had been in a weird state. The older fate practically ordered me to go stay with Nona and find out what is going on. I, a Muse, am on a lower status than the Fates and I had little choice but to obey her.

Nona welcomed me graciously. She gave me my own room and even procured a piano and a flute for my enjoyment. I tried to tell her that her sister had sent me to watch her, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Euterpe, my sisters have always worried over me since the beginning of time. I am the youngest of the Fates and thus it is my nature to be open and want company. You are not the first being to show up at my doorstep. And,” She continued, even though I was about to interrupt, “I have no doubt they already know what events are in place. They just sent you as a pleasentry,”

Now, I don’t like being called a ‘pleasentry’, but I didn’t want to speak against her when I didn’t know how long I was going to be there. But, after about a month, I began to see her oddities. Nona seemed to be in a constant state of waiting. I often found her staring out of windows and going for long walks. She didn’t look me in the eye anymore and her gaze flickered, searching for the arrival of something new.

I could feel it before it happened; a change in the air, one could say. The piano’s twang gained a different timbre and my voice pitch grew to a fluttery state. I stood by the door of the apartment and awaited for Nona to come home. She didn’t come alone.

A mortal? I thought at first. I gazed confused at Nona. I couldn’t understand why she would be in such anticipation for a common mortal. She gave me a nervous smile and pulled me from the room.

“Terpe,” It was a nickname that she seemed to be fond of. I didn’t mind, she was a close friend by then, “It will only be for a little while, but I…,” She seemed anxious, liked she wanted my approval, “I have been waiting for so long. Surely you must know?”

I frowned at her, “Know what?”

She smiled again, a dreamy otherworldly smile, “Love, Terpe, love,” And then she left me there, frozen, to attend to her mortal, her love. I felt rather disgusted.

I am not a fool of love. I may let myself be loved and I may have fondness for certain beings. But they way she said it, it felt like…forever. There are few things in this world that are forever. And one that is definetly not forever, is that mortal.

But I watched and waited. The Foolish Mortal seemed rather curious of the new surroundings. Nona eventually explained what was to happen. I could tell it was hard for her and I began to fear that she would fight the other Fates over that stupid mortal’s life. But she seemed so happy. She was lighter than air and even I, one who does not love, felt jealous.

Yet, it came to an end. I could feel it, as I was not at the incident. The piano grew to a normal tone and my voice lowered into a sultry state again. Nona came home that night, drenched and stained in blood. I put my arms around her, though I am far from comfort.

She kept muttering, “Gone…gone. I tried to hold on, I really did, but it was hopeless, it has always been hopeless…gone,”

I began to sing to her, a soft, whispery song, “The stars believe in nothing. Only faith in ones They know. Seeing what Celestial Gods act,” I paused, “Whispering the deeds that They show,” It is an old song, one I haven’t sung in thousands of years. I know the words are hardly comforting, but my voice is enough.

She avoided me the next couple of days. Lachesis came to comfort her, but Nona had nothing to do with her. The older Fate looked at me morosely, “She has always been the youngest, most easily loved and more easily hurt. I wished she would live her life more secluded, like how Morta and I do,”

I looked down at my feet, I felt ashamed that I seemed powerless in helping my friend grieve. It was several days later that she came to me and announced that she was going to see her sister, Morta. I knew what Nona wanted to find, a way around death, a way to cheat it.

I let her leave first and then followed silently behind. She seemed so out of tune that she didn’t even notice me. I saw her enter the house of her eldest sister. I hesitated on the porch. Urania gazed at me from the corner of her eye.

“Euterpe, it has been long. Have you prepared yet?” Her voice was soft, lucid.

I looked at her strangely, “What do you mean?”

She smiled, a knowing smile. She often did that. She could see a clouded future and she would dangle it precariously in front of someone, “I guess not,” And she turned away.

I then heard the stuttered gasps of Nona. I quickly rushed into the house and saw the two sisters looking politely away as the youngest tried to reel in the everlasting tears. Without thinking, I put my arms around her and sang the first song that I could think of.

“Shall I feel something that is untouchable? Shall I believe in something that I cannot see?” I could see her relaxing, “The blessing of endless adoration keeps me from falling below. My eyes open wide to the salvation. I stretch my wings and fly aglow,” It is one of my favorite songs. A song that all the Fates have heard many times, as well as countless beings.

As the Fates continued their conversation, I wondered how Nona could do this to herself. Hurt herself to a hopeless cause. A dream of the Foolish Mortal is hardly grounds for a resurrection. Then I heard Morta discussing the possibility of a different world, like an afterworld, but different.

Lachesis said the magic words, “Themortal can be brought back to life?”

This send my brain into a jumble. A different world? Where dead beings can come back from death? Back from the oblivion that they disappeared to? That is impossible…

But I couldn’t help it. The possibility seemed so tantalizing to me and I wasn’t sure why. I tried to grasp the thought that gave me the reason, but it eluded me so easily. I was so confused that I hardly noticed that Nona was different again. Not exactly happy, but puposeful. Nothing could stop her now, nothing could stop her love.

She didn’t go back to the apartment, but went elsewhere. I wasn’t sure, but I think it was near the park she was always so fond of. I went home and tried to deal with my confusion through music. The moment I sat at the piano, I could feel it. An electric charge buzzing in the air. I tried to play and sing, but no notes came to me. I stood up abruptly, terrified.

I am the Muse of lyrical song, I could sing with my mouth shut and throat gagged. I backed up against the wall and the buzzing became almost unbearable. I wanted to scream, but my voice wasn’t working enough for that. Then it all seemed to snap.

Everything was abruptly quiet. I stayed still anyway, fearing the feeling might come back. When Nona opened the door, I nearly screamed. I rushed to her, ready to question her as to what happened. But something stops me. Someone.

The Foolish Mortal was with her.

The Foolish Mortal was alive.

She moved to the bedroom and I followed, dumbfounded. I barely suttered out words. The mortal, looking rather tired and dazed, was perfectly healthy and alive. I hardly knew what to do when Nona left the room. I stared, but the mortal didn’t seem to notice. I then saw a shock of green from the hand and the Foolish Mortal looking curiously at it.

I recognized it instantly. It seemed to come to me in a wave, not of memory, but of emotion. I hardly recognized it, I hadn’t felt it in so long. I hardly noticed the words on my lips, “Someone I used to know….Beautiful voice…Apollo,” It szx all so strange to me. I tried to ask how a dead person can come back to life, but the Foolish Mortal seemed to have no recollection.

I left the room quickly after that, my thoughts haunting me. Death was defeated, but how? I sat before the piano, my comforting area, and placed my hands on the keys. I saw the small green laurel leaf fall onto the ivory keys. I stared at it a moment and then a soft memory washed over me.

His hair was blonde, such a beautiful blonde too. The kind that when one ran their fingers through it they seemed to disappear into another world, a mystical world. I stared at the bright green leaf tucked behind his ear. He looked at me anxiously, awaiting an answer.

“The green clashes with your eyes,” He laughed, and I looked away. Although, I am not sure why.

My sight focused back in on the piano and I sighed. Something was wrong and I knew someone who would know what to do about it.

Urania.

---

I practically run to Morta’s home that very second.

I hardly left Nona a message as I fled to my sister. The Fate barely notices anyway. She is too interested in her mortal to see my disturbance and agitation.

Morta lives quite a distance away. I slow my step as I begin to reach the city limits. I don’t even know what to say to Urania when I see her. She is the kind of being that twists and dances around my words, avoiding them without a scratch. I sigh, I have to think of a way to get her to tell me what I want, but I am not a Muse of Clever Thinking.

I spot the old Fate’s house and jog towards it. I try to see if my sister is outside, but I don’t notice a trace. I knock timidly on the door, “Morta?” I hear a banging noise and a hushed curse word.

The door flies open. Morta looks wild and bedraggled. Her usual refined and relaxed figure is a jittery mess. She peers at me warily, “What have you come for Euterpe?”

I shy away, her voice is harsh, “I just wanted to know where Urania went. I saw her last here,”

She snorts, very unlike her. I am worried, “She comes and goes. I hardly know when she even comes to my home,” She peers at me, “What do you want her for? I bet it has something to do with that Foolish Mortal,” She growls and I back up another step, “I don’t understand it! I don’t know how it is possible! No thread can be remade after being cut! It is just impossible!”

I jump as she whirls around and seems to pluck a thread from thin air. I have never seen mortal threads before; the Fates are so quick with their job that the threads are invisible. I look at it curiously; it is a dark grey color that glows a little blue. I spot a small white band that seems to spiral around it.

I look at Morta confused, I do not know the difference between one thread at another. She narrows her eyes at me, “When I cut a mortal’s thread it disappears, completely gone. This is Nona’s thread; it is unbreakable by my hands,” She lifts up the thread again, “When that Foolish Mortal was brought back to life this small white thread attached itself to it. It is the Mortal’s life! It is bound to hers now!” She throws up the thread in frustration. It disappears like mist.

I stare in wonder; I never knew us beings had threads before. I suddenly speculate what mine is like, “But how did it happen? How is it possible for one thread to connect itself to another?”

Morta sighs, looking defeated, “I don’t know. I can’t cut Nona’s thread and now I can’t cut the Foolish Mortal’s either. I have never seen such a strong binding in my entire life. It makes be wonder if death can be defeated if all threads could just be connected to one another,” Her shoulders slump and her eyes turn glazed, “My whole purpose for existence would be pointless. I would have no reason to…to…,” She turns from me, her tone suddenly different, “I don’t know where Urania is, but you know her usual places,” She slowly closes the door in my face.

I stand there very still and hear her silent footsteps shuffle away. I wondered if Nona knew how much she had hurt her eldest sister, how crushed the old Fate seemed to be. I began to wander over the country side. Meandering towards an old house that I used to live in.

I would only stay there for fragments of time. Like most Muses, I am always compelled to move from place to place. We are not sure of this nature. Perhaps it is our ability to inspire humans with our presence and so we need to shift in order to spread our gift. I have often heard, from other beings, that the Muses seem to appear to be in many places at once.

This house, much like the Fate’s homes, exists in its own reality. Though any mortal or creature could easily enter the property, the homes require no maintenance or fees. They also could be anywhere at any time. It is a rather large country home, with many windows and a long white porch.

As I near I spot a familiar Muse perched on the porch rail, “Urania,” I mutter to myself, and though I am far out of earshot, she turns to me anyway. Her pale blue eyes flickering towards me for a second and then back to the sky.

“Euterpe!” I look past Urania to a smaller, stouter Muse behind her. I recognize the patented scroll with the well-known feather in hand of my sister Clio. She smiles brightly at me. She is a rather joyful Muse, even though much of what she records is death and war.

“Hello, Clio, Urania,” I say as I come closer. The two have always been close to each other, though I have never been sure why. One records history and the other looks into the future; one staring at Earth and the other at Sky. It is very strange to me, but they seem to get along well.

“What brings you here, Euterpe? I would suspect you would be with Nona,” Clio grins enthusiastically, “There are so many things I would want to ask her! This kind of action has never been done before!” She waves her arms about, smiling like a maniac.

I ignore her and turn to the other Muse, “Urania, there are some things you have to explain to me,” Clio puts her arms down and looks at the both of us curiously.

Urania ignores me easily. Clio turns to the starry-eyed Muse, “Nia? Do you know something of this?” She lowers her voice a little, “You know, about this other afterlife?”

Urania voice is even and smooth, “How would I know of any afterlife? We are all immortal here, it is quite impossible for me to know such things,” I frown. I hate her difficult nature.

Clio frowns. She is getting upset too. I stay silent, knowing that Clio has a better chance of getting information out of Urania, “Stop being stupid, Nia. You know perfectly well what I am talking about, you have told me of it,” The other Muse gives a did-I-really?-look, “You either tell me or else I won’t let you use my quill when you copy down your constellation predictions,”

I don’t understand how that is a threat, but Urania seems affected by it. She tears her eyes away from the sky and to Clio, “Fine, I will tell Euterpe what I know, but my words are only meant for her,”

The Muse doesn’t seem happy with this, but she knows she has little choice. She gives me a quick wave and walks back into the house. Urania is staring at me. It is terrible when she stares right at you, it feels so unnatural.

“Come, sister,” She slides off the railing and into the grass. I follow as she leads me a little ways from the house. We are now cresting over a large hill. She turns to me, “Euterpe, imagine all you could see from here was endless rolling hills,” I give her an odd look, but she keeps staring at me in an unnerving way.

I close my eyes and I am surprised to see the image come easily. I could almost feel the cool breeze and see the grass on all the endless hills move in a wavelike pattern. It almost looks like an ocean…

I suddenly see Urania in front of me as I open my eyes. She is staring at the sky again, “That is good,” She murmured, “It means you have had contact,”

I want to scream, “What are you talking about?” I mutter exasperated.

She smiles slightly, “Not what, who, Euterpe. Who am I talking about? You should already know that,”

Sighing loudly, I try to think what she is saying, but really, I understand completely. I just don’t want to admit it, “You said before that I should be prepared for something, but what do you mean?”

“What did Nona mean?” Now I am totally lost. I stare at my sister confused. Her eyes are downcast, staring at nothing, “What did she mean when she said she was waiting?” She looks back at the sky again.

I remember that again, when the Foolish Mortal first came to our home. I have been waiting for so long…Love, Terpe, love. I look abruptly back at Urania. She is looking at me again, but this time it seems she is looking past me.

“You have to go now, Euterpe,”

I narrow my eyes, “Why?”

She stares at me wide-eyed, “To find him, your love…Apollo,”

I want to hit her.